Seating arrangement at reception

We split the room when we got married, just so that families could talk and mingle between tables between courses and during dancing. I don't think there's an actual rule about it though.

The space for tables at our venue is more of an L shape so there is no splitting down the middle but I am mixing the tables up. Families will be placed at a table together but the table next to them may be FHs family it may not be

We have two long "farmhouse" tables, one for my immediate family, one for his.

The other round tables are just formed by who we thought would get along best. For example, my coworker and her husband are sitting next to my FH's work friends who are all in the Seattle music scene, my loud ass cousins are seated next to my loud ass friends as far away from FH's quiet and shy family friends as possible.

I'd wonder why the seating arrangement is segregating the sides, given it is suppose to be a blending of families. My godmother sat at the same table as my in-laws (my parents have both passed). My chosen family were also seated at tables with DH's siblings/family. It seemed to workout ok.

You don't plan on splitting the room based on family. We are all supposed to be one big group. I don't think people will even be at their tables for the majority of the reception. Once dinner is over I imagine people will be dancing, checking out the photo booth and getting drinks at the bar. Not sitting at their tables.

We grouped the families together for the most part, but people were barely at their tables at our reception. Most people were on the dance floor the whole night!

I wouldn't split them up.. it's fun to meet the other side!

We alternated tables, but everyone knew each other, who was seated at each table. I would rather sit with 9 other people I know, than half a table of strangers.

I don't think you need to split the room. I would be totally fine if the table next to me was full of strangers, as long as the table I'm at isn't. I wouldn't mix tables with people who don't know each other well. Adults know how to meet new people without being forced to. The comfort of your guests should be the top priority

I've been to countless weddings in the past 40 years. At every wedding, his family is seated on one side of the room, and her family is seated on the other. After dinner, nobody cares where they're seated. And that's why an open bar really works. Two families, strangers to each other, will have a few drinks, and they'll cross the dance floor, meet, and enjoy the people they never would have known -- had the couple not crossed paths, fallen in love, and married. Lemonade or Iced Tea would have not given either family the courage to cross the great divide.

We intermingled like your example as best we could.

Ok thank you all. I'll seat families together but I'll mix up the tables then